1988Final results
1988 election for Ohio's 17th District
U.S. House · Ohio
James Traficant (D) won with 77.2% of the vote, defeating Frederick W. Lenz (R) by 54.5 points.
James TraficantDemocrat · winner
77.2%162,526
Frederick W. LenzRepublican
22.8%47,929
210,455 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1988
Races before and after
Source: Past results: 99chambers results archive (MEDSL, Klarner, state election offices)
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
James TraficantFrederick W. Lenz
$100.1K
Raised by the campaign
$2.4K
$96K
Spent by the campaign
$2.4K
$55.7K
Cash on hand
$15
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 21, 1988; FEC, through Dec 31, 1988.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 21, 1988